Tia Christ, Nurse Practitioner

👩‍⚕️ I’m a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner (since 2015) and a Registered Nurse (since 2010), proudly serving patients with compassion and expertise. I’m also a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (CFMP) and trained through the BHRT Training Academy to prescribe bioidentical hormones for men & women 🌿.

🧠 I stay current with the latest diagnostic criteria for ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders in men, women, and children + Functional Medicine+ Hormones

 I'm a licensed Nurse Practitioner in Oklahoma, with full authority to diagnose, treat, order labs/imaging, and prescribe medications 💊.

📚 Committed to ongoing education, I’ve also begun advanced training through the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) to deepen my understanding of root-cause healing and whole-body wellness 🌱.

💡 My Journey from Critical Care to Root-Cause Medicine

I began my nursing career in adult critical care, where I quickly saw a disturbing pattern: patients suffering from preventable chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, depression, and obesity. It became clear that my community didn’t just need emergency care — it needed preventive medicine, education, and real solutions. I felt deeply called to be part of that change.

I became a Family Nurse Practitioner, hopeful that primary care would allow me to make a meaningful impact. But after eight years in traditional primary care, I grew disillusioned with the “pill for every ill” approach. I realized I wouldn’t personally take most of the medications I was prescribing — a turning point that forced me to rethink my path.

Throughout my time in internal medicine, I worked with patients battling chronic illnesses. I gave them all the education I could, but I knew I was only treating symptoms, not solving the underlying problems. While traditional medicine excels in trauma, surgery, and acute care 🚑, it often fails patients with chronic conditions.

🧬 Like most NPs, PAs, and MDs, I was trained to assess, diagnose, and prescribe — not to address root causes or use natural, holistic therapies. Despite my long-standing interest in herbal and natural medicine, I lacked formal education in it, and most of my physician colleagues discouraged anything outside of FDA-approved treatments.

Everything changed when I began my certification in Functional Medicine. For the first time, I felt aligned with the kind of medicine I was meant to practice — one that focuses on healing the whole person, not just managing disease. I knew I could no longer stay in the conventional model of medicine.

🌿 Today, I practice medicine differently — blending the best of science with natural therapies to help people truly heal from the inside out.

🏡 Outside of work, I'm blessed with a supportive husband, Dustin, and our two sweet boys,who keep life fun and full of purpose. We share our home with two playful cats, Reaper & Ruka, and our loving Golden Retriever, Daisy 🐾.

☀️ I cherish quiet moments by the pool or with a book, movie nights with my boys, and family adventures, especially our yearly trips to the Florida beaches — our favorite place to relax, recharge, and reconnect.

🙏 I wholeheartedly believe that God called me to be a nurse, and I feel it is my purpose to serve, care, and walk alongside others on their journey to healing and wellness.

🌿 How Pathway Health & Beauty Was Born

The vision for Pathway Health & Beauty began with a simple yet powerful gesture — a Christmas card I received in December 2022. A kind man sent it to my clinic to thank me for helping change his life. (Though in truth, he did the work — I just gave him the tools!) He lost 97 pounds and completely reversed his type 2 diabetes through nutrition and lifestyle changes. That heartfelt message lit a fire in me 🔥

In 2023, I began my certification in Functional Medicine, which ultimately led me down a personal healing journey. I used the same principles I teach others to diagnose and treat myself — and finally address the root causes of my own health issues (it was SIBO + Perimenopause for me!)

In 2024, I made a bold move and left my high-stress internal medicine job. As the anxiety lifted, I began to truly heal my body, mind, and spirit. That experience deepened my belief that conventional and functional medicine can work hand-in-hand — but that most people can radically improve their health through personalized nutrition, lifestyle changes, and uncovering root causes through advanced functional medicine testing (I sure needed it myself!).

🤝 I’m happy to collaborate with your current primary care provider to support your wellness goals — we’re all on the same team when it comes to your health. I believe functional medicine is the future, and I’m honored to be part of this shift toward true, sustainable healing.